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R. R. H. McGINNlS. BANJO, APPLICATION FILED IAN.22 |917.

1 ,3 1 823 Patented Sepf. 2, 1919. v

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RICHARD n. H. Meern-Nrs, or NEW YORK, 1v. Y.

BANJO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented sept. 2, 1919.

Application filed January 22, 1917. Serial No. 143,746.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD R. H. Mo- GiNNis, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, county and State of New York, havelinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Banjos,V of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act specification.

In the present methods of making ban]os the head which is usually of untanned skin of an animal is susceptible of absorbing moisture from the air, and the moisture chiefly collects around the peripheral portion of the head with a tendency to spread toward its center. When the head is charged with moisture the sound of the instrument is greatly impaired, and frequently the head must be removed for being restretched on the rim of the body as well as being allowed to dry before the instrument can be properly tuned. u

My invention has for its object primarily to overcome these objections by providing a simple and efficient deviceconstructed so that when applied to a banjo, an air space is formed at its marginal portion wherein the moisture absorbed by the head will tend to collect, 'in order to obviate deadening the sound of the instrument by spreading toward the central part of the head, and in conjunction with the air space a resonance ring is employed for intensifying the sound of the instrument.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary view showing a top plan of the head and part of the finger board of a banjo with one form of device embodying my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a top plan of the device.

Fig. 3 is an edge view, partly broken away, of the device, taken on the line III-III of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. l.

The device has a body portion 10 which is preferably in the form of a band, or annu lar wall of metal, and this band isof a dimension so as to removably fit snugly on the rim 11 of the body`12 of a banjo, as 13, when applied eXteriorly thereover. The band, or annular wally of the body portion 10 may be of a suitable height, and extending interiorly of the band in proximity to its lower edge may be a bead, as 14, for engaging a groove 15 provided in the rim 11 of the ban]o to detachably fasten the device thereon.

Iii constructingthe device I preferably turn the upper portion of the band 10 inwardly and then downwardly to form an inner reinforcing annular strip, as 16, which is soldered to the band and this strip is then bent angularly inward of the band to provide an annular member or flat ring 17, and this annular member is of a width so that its second edge extends some distance inwardly of the band 10. By this formation of the annular member 17 it is arranged a distance below the upper edge of the band 10 and the free edge of the annular member may be curved upwardly, as at 19.

Mounted in the curved edge of the annular member 17 is a resonance ring 20 serving to intensify the tone of the instrument. This resonance ring is preferably made of a steel of a diameter so that its top is on a 1ongitudinal plane some distance above the upper edge of the band 10, and the resonance ring is held in a stationary position on the annular` member 17 by being soldered or otherwise secured thereto. Moreover, the resonance ring is of sufficient diameter so that its greater part will be free of contact with other parts of the device, and when the head, as 21, which is usually of untanned skin of an animal, is applied on the rim 11 of the banjo the head is stretched over the resonance ring. The edge part of the head is wrapped on a flesh hoop, as 22, in the usual manner, and this hoop is guided over the body portion, orband 10 of the device. A bail ring, as 23, is also disposed over the head 21 and over the band 10 of the device so as to bear upon the flesh hoop, and by the employment of clamps, as 24, on the rim 11 of the instrument to engage the bail ring 23 the head 21 will be properly fitted on the body or band 10. The flesh hoop 22, bail ring 23 and the clamps 24C may be of the usual, or any preferred forms, and do not comprise a part of this invention.

By applying the head 21 over the resonance ring 20 and over the upper edge of the band 10 of the device, the air space 18 is stretched over provided and the marginal edge part of the head will be on an incline relative to the central part of the head so that moisture when absorbed by the head will tend to spread toward the inclined part over the air space instead of spreadingtoward the center of the head.

In the foregoing description, I have embodied the preferred form of my invention, but I do not wish to be understood as limit.- ing myself thereto as I am aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the principle, or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, therefore I reserve to myself the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. The combination with the rim, head and bail ring of a banjo, of a band between the rim and said ring having the head its upper edge, an annular member extending angularly inward of the Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressin band and spaced underneath the head, and a resonance ring on the annular member in spaced relation to the band as well as con tacting with the head to provide an air space around and under the marginal portion of the head, besides disposing the marginal portion of the head on an incline.

2. rlhe combination with the rim, head and bail ring of a banjo, of a band between the rim and said ring, having the head stretched over its upper edge, and the upper edge part being bent downwardly, then bent right angularly inward of the ring and the free edge part of the right angular portion being curved upwardly toward the head, and a metallic ring in said curved portion of the band arranged in Contact with the under side o1 the head as well as disposing the marginal portion of the head on an incline.

This specification signed and witnessed this 20th da'y of January A. D. 1917.

RICHARD R. II. MCGINNIS.

Vitnesses:

GEORGE F. BENTLEY, V. M. RUMPH.

g the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, ID. C. 

